MDMD(Pt 1) The Sum is Greater than Part 1

[andrew at cee.hw.ac.uk]

Ok foax,

This fortnight is an opportunity to look back on and review Part 1 as
a whole and, perhaps, thereby do some groundwork for our reading of
Parts 2 and 3. The reading so far has tended to concentrate on details
and, necessarily, been limited in its ability to assimilate and
synthesize information and understanding gleaned across the various
MDMD sessions. So, this is *your* chance to put some of it together
and see how it all adds up.

If you want to join in then compose a note, maybe no more than a page
or two detailing your opinions re some aspect of Part 1. I will be
posting my own reflections later today. Try to quote material from the
book to underpin your arguments. Lengthy quotes and detailed
dissections of a few paragraphs are just as welcome as general
speculations which draw evidence from the whole book.

In case you missed the start of the reading or have smoked so much
Indian Hemp you can no longer `Keep your memory working' (5.35) I'll
remind you that I posted a few possible topics for discussion during
the reading. I noticed on conducting my own rereading that my initial
thoughts on these topics have been startlingly amplified by the
experience of a close reading. I include the list below for what
inspiration it might offer.


Andrew Dinn
-----------
How do you know but ev'ry bird that cuts the airy way
Is an immense world of pleasure clos'd by your senses five

----- 8< -------- 8< -------- 8< -------- 8< -------- 8< -------- 8< ---

      Plot - Mason & Dixon seems to be a far more Linear Narrative
      than Mr Pynchon's previous Magnum Opus, Gravity's Rainbow. So
      providing a Summary and Analysis of the Plotting should be no
      Onerous Task.

      Technique - Mason & Dixon appears equally as Polished in its
      Technickal Mastery as Gravity's Rainbow. At First Impression, it
      appears that it will manifest the same Tricks of Narrative,
      Feats of Language and Juxtapositions of Location and Chronology
      (both within and without the Narrative) as we chart our way
      through the Novel. But let us not just narrow our Comparisons to
      Mr Pynchon's other Works. This is a much more markedly
      Historickal Novel than its Predecessors and adopts a suitably
      Historickal Tone. Is it also a Modern (or dare I invoke the Term
      a Postmodern) Novel?

      Tradition - Mr Pynchon's latest Novel is merely one Star in his
      personal Constellation. It would take an Astronomer Royal to
      locate its exact Position in the Firmanent but its Placement in
      a Rough Guide to the Heavens for the Use of the Amateur
      Stargazer on a cold clear night would be more than welcome.

      Background & Sources - Mason & Dixon seems as stuffed full of
      Esoterick Facts as Mr Pynchon's other Works. Many of them are
      explicated on the Page, obviating the need to resort to Books of
      Reference. Yet, Pynchon's Forte is a Kind of Literary
      Transsubstantiation, turning Base Facts into the Philosopher's
      Stone of his Fiction. The Identifickation of Mr Pynchon's likely
      Sources or even the Provision of Related Material will help us
      determine how well he has realised History in his Fiction. Some
      might joak that he has rather `invented history'. And other
      Philosophers might disagree with such a Sentiment by agreeing
      that History is all Invention - I shall preempt such Disputes
      and merely request Alternative Histories. Direct us to the
      relevant Literature, provide us with Diagrams, Schematicks or
      Depictions, Songs or Sheet Musick.

      The World - Mr Pynchon's previous Magnum Opus, Gravity's
      Rainbow, is marked by the Tendency of its Story to spill out
      over the Edge of it's Pages into the Real World, drawing in
      Science, History, Philosophy etc. It may be too early to answer
      such a request but does Mason & Dixon do the same?  Is a
      Macrocosm embedded in Mason and Dixon's Microcosm.

      Other Works - I observe great continuity between Mason & Dixon
      and Mr Pynchon's earlier Novels, particularly Gravity's
      Rainbow. But do they really form a Constellation? Or are they a
      mere Random Pattern into which we read more Significance than
      they merit?